For those who have not read the biography of Ajaan Mun, I highly suggest you do. Here is a link to the book online. A wonderful book written by Ajaan Maha Bua, one of Ajaan Mun's disciple, about the life of this wandering ascetic. His search for awakening and the experiences he had leading up to the ultimate goal.

And the readers of this biography (hagiography) need to keep in mind that other direct students of Ajahn Mun take exception to it as not accurately reflecting his life and teachings.

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++++++++++++++++This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

There is freedom from birth, freedom from becoming, freedom from making, freedom from conditioning. If there were not this freedom from birth, freedom from becoming, freedom from making, freedom from conditioning, then escape from that which is birth, becoming, making, conditioning, would not be known here. -- Ud 80

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.People live in one another’s shelter.

tiltbillings wrote:And the readers of this biography (hagiography) need to keep in mind that other direct students of Ajahn Mun take exception to it as not accurately reflecting his life and teachings.

I have heard this before. Can you share a link, or recall some aspects that are disagreed on? I would like to know more

MichaelThe thoughts I've expressed in the above post are carefully considered and offered in good faith.

And friendliness towards the world is happiness for him who is forbearing with living beings. -- Ud. 2:1To his own ruin the fool gains knowledge, for it cleaves his head and destroys his innate goodness. -- Dhp 72

tiltbillings wrote:And the readers of this biography (hagiography) need to keep in mind that other direct students of Ajahn Mun take exception to it as not accurately reflecting his life and teachings.

I have heard this before. Can you share a link, or recall some aspects that are disagreed on? I would like to know more

There was a fair amount of information on the now most sincerely dead E-Sandbox. Some little of that has crossed over to here:

++++++++++++++++This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

There is freedom from birth, freedom from becoming, freedom from making, freedom from conditioning. If there were not this freedom from birth, freedom from becoming, freedom from making, freedom from conditioning, then escape from that which is birth, becoming, making, conditioning, would not be known here. -- Ud 80

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.People live in one another’s shelter.

Ajahn Thanissaros teacher Ajahn thate had also writen a biography which paints him in a completely different light I believe (?) although it is only available in thai.

just to note Ajahn Thate also wrote his own biography so that when he died others wouldn't imply special powers to him, see his own bio.

P.S., Ajahn Maha-boowa was a 'johnny come late' to Ajahn Mun and didn't spend much time with him compared to other disciples. although I have full confidence in each of these teachers, how one disciple remembers the teacher isn't important, what is is whether the memory is useful & conductive to our own practice?

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

Manapa wrote:Ajahn Thanissaros teacher Ajahn thate had also writen a biography which paints him in a completely different light I believe (?) although it is only available in thai.

just to note Ajahn Thate also wrote his own biography so that when he died others wouldn't imply special powers to him, see his own bio.

P.S., Ajahn Maha-boowa was a 'johnny come late' to Ajahn Mun and didn't spend much time with him compared to other disciples. although I have full confidence in each of these teachers, how one disciple remembers the teacher isn't important, what is is whether the memory is useful & conductive to our own practice?

Ajaan Maha Boowa spent about seven years with Ajaan Mun, I believe he is considered to belong to the 2nd generation of Ajaan Mun's students, but he certainly had much personal contact with him. He was given duties around the monastery by Ajaan Mun, and would return to see his teacher while off in intensive retreat whenever he came upon a problem he needed solving. I've read a bit of the original Thai biography and the English translation reflects it quite well in my opinion, though I'll now surely search out the Ajaan Tate biography as I had never before heard of it.

Ah it might do well to place the reminder here that a teacher employs different methods/teaching styles depending on what will most benefit their students. Ajaan Maha Boowa (Luangta) repeatedly calls himself hard-headed and stubborn so if Ajaan Mun was harsh and strict with Luangta, one might venture a guess that there could be reason to.

Also, further translations from Thai texts are available at Forestdhamma.org. An American monk named Ajahn Dick Silaratano is responsible for these translations. He served as Luangta's personal Uppatak (servant/aide) for 17 years and is currently residing in Thailand for the Pansaa.

I appreciate the reference to Ajahn Tate's bio of Aj. Mun. I'll be sure to check it out. I don't want this biography to unecessarily fall into bad disrepute if there's no ground for it.

Best,

p.s. just a quick edit: Ajahn Geoff Thanissaro was actually a disciple of Ajahn Fuang who was a disciple of Ajahn Lee Dhammadaro (of Wat Asokaram/ 1st generation Ajahn Mun lineage). Ajahn Thate did have Western students as he describes in his bio, though I'm not sure if any are still in robes.

James the Giant wrote:Is the companion volume "Patipada, The Mode Of Practice Of Venerable Acharn Mun" similarly hagiographic?I've just been given a free copy and don't want to waste my time on bad books.

It is full of meditation instruction and I turn to it regularly for guidance. I recommend it.

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

That's actually something I'm finding to be the case with many monastic biographies: meditation instructions that are housed in a practitioners experience, rather than ...formulated.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]